Accessing the Hidden Job Market

from the blog Employment Digest
Career news for experienced executives and technologists…

The Truth Behind the Open Job Market
Most job seekers rely on the open job market which includes job posting boards and help wanted advertisements in local newspapers to source job leads. While it appears on the surface that these search automobiles have an abundant number of job leads, the reality is that very few people secure their positions through these methods of search. Only about 5-10% of people in search find their jobs using these two methods combined. One of the main reasons it is so difficult to land a job through a job board is that the job seeker is faced with insurmountable competition and limited means to differentiate their candidacy. It's not unusual for a hiring manager to receive over 500 resumes for one open position. With no personal relationship with the hiring authority, the job seeker is forced to rely on technology and hope that the resume they submitted for an on the web opportunity contains enough keywords and consistency with the job spec to garner an acknowledgement from the hiring manager.